


Save the Cat

by Inisheer



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: #BuckyNat Week, Domestic Tuesday, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 09:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6465574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inisheer/pseuds/Inisheer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was supposed to be a quiet day off. Liho has other ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Save the Cat

When Bucky walked into the kitchen Natasha was standing tip-toes on the counter beside the fridge, wearing nothing but one of his shirts with the sleeves rolled up. It was a gloriously sunny morning and the scene, as golden light filtered through the apartment windows, was equal parts beautiful and baffling.

‘Um… Natasha? What are you doing up there?’ asked Bucky.

‘It’s this stupid cat,’ said Natasha. ‘He won’t come down.’

‘Liho’s up there?’

‘No, the _other_ cat.’ There was worry underneath Natasha’s careless irritation. She’d never have admitted it. If he hadn’t been swiftly growing concerned about the cat himself, Bucky might have smiled.

Ten seconds later, he stood next to Natasha on the counter. He had to bend slightly not to crack his head on the ceiling but he had a better view than she does of the top of the cabinet, where Liho was a baleful black shadow in the back corner. Green eyes glinted at them. Bucky reached in, then withdrew his hand quickly at the sting of sharp claws. He didn’t bother to offer the metal one.

They climbed down. Natasha handed Bucky a tissue to dab at the blood welling up from three deep gashes between thumb and forefinger, set an open tin of tuna on the counter and went about boiling water. They tried to talk about other things while waiting to see if Liho would be tempted down and ignore the pungent aroma of fish, which seemed to mingle with Bucky’s mug of strong coffee

A small black nose appeared and disappeared again at the top of the cabinet.

‘When did you steal my shirt?’ asked Bucky. It wasn’t the one he’d been wearing last night, which still lay in a heap at the end of the bed, and he felt he should have noticed it missing. It wasn’t that he minded _too_ much, because as far as he was concerned Natasha could have taken every item of clothing he owned if it meant he got to watch her wearing it, sitting cross-legged on the kitchen table, manicured hands wrapped around an Iron Man mug that Stark had given her and that devilish grin playing across her face. Still. It was the principle of the thing.

‘Oh, do you think it suits me?’

Trying not to smile, Bucky persisted: ‘That’s one of my favourite shirts.’

‘I know.’

‘So what if I want it back?’

‘I guess you’ll have to take it off me.’

Liho’s nose came into view again. This time it was followed by his eyes, flickering ears, a pair of paws curled over the edge of the cupboard-top.

‘You can keep it for now,’ said Bucky. ‘I’ll get it back later. Come on, puss.’

Liho stretched a ways down the front of the cupboard, then jumped. He landed next to the sink with a twist and a heavy-sounding thud. His whole posture was stiff, tail curled down next to his hind legs, movement strained. From here Bucky couldn’t see any signs of gashes or wounds, other than the old torn ear, but that dark fur would hide a lot.

‘There, you see -’ said Natasha. ‘His hind leg.’

The cat gingerly brought one back leg down to the surface, lifted it again, and hopped over to the tuna tin. He sniffed around it listlessly.

‘I see it,’ said Bucky.

Now the problem was clear and could be approached with characteristic efficiency. Natasha had taken Liho to the vet before, when she gave in to the idea that he was sticking around, and the cat carrier was only slightly buried under the junk in the hall cupboard. It was a simple enough matter to schedule an appointment at the vet’s. It was another altogether to coax Liho into his carrier. ‘We’ll make it for ten, won’t we?’ Natasha said as she hung up from talking to the clinic, and Bucky could see no reason not to agree; but half an hour and another round of coffee later, Liho had hidden himself again (this time, under the sofa), and Bucky sported more marks of his refusal not to cooperate. He was on his hands and knees, trying to coax the furball out with a packet of cat treats, when Natasha entered the living room. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she was clearly trying not to look amused.

She silently took the cat treats from him and shooed Bucky away to the end of the sofa, then crouched down near Liho’s hiding-place.

‘Come on, you pathetic excuse for a panther,’ said Natasha, in the sweetest, most cat-soothing voice imaginable. She scattered a couple of cat treats on the rug. ‘What did you do, jump off a high building? That’s _my_ job.’

‘Really? I thought you did it for fun.’

‘Who says work can’t be fun?’ she volleyed. ‘But _you_ , mister, have been very silly, and now you need to go and get yourself fixed up. Unless you want to walk around with a broken leg forever. Your choice. No? Oh, well.’ Natasha came and slumped on the sofa next to Bucky. She hooked a foot around his leg, warm pressed against his side.

‘You’re giving up very -’

Natasha pressed a finger to his lips. ‘Shh. Wait.’

‘I don’t know if that’s going to work. He’s a cat.’

‘He’s a demonic hellbeast with four legs and a tail.’

‘Same thing.’

It probably had more to do with the cat treats than the reverse psychology, but she was right. It didn’t take long for Liho to emerge far enough to allow Natasha to scoop him up from above. He went limp in her hands, then started to struggle as the carrier approached. Natasha calmly upended it and poured Liho in. Bucky couldn’t decide whether to be impressed or annoyed.

When the cat was safely locked away, he kissed the smug expression off Natasha’s face.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first thing I've ever worked up the courage to post. No, I'm not freaking out right now, why do you ask?
> 
> Written for BuckyNat Week 2016 (Domestic Tuesday).


End file.
